f1fandomcom-20200222-history
2000 Brazilian Grand Prix
26 March |officialname = XXIX Grande Prêmio Marlboro do Brasil |circuit = Autódromo José Carlos Pace |location = São Paulo, Brazil |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.309 |laps = 71 |distance = 305.939 |pole = Mika Häkkinen |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:14.111 |fastestlap = 1:14.755 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 48 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Giancarlo Fisichella |secondnation = ITA |secondteam = |third = Heinz-Harald Frentzen |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XXIX Grande Prêmio Marlboro do Brasil, was the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil, on the 26 March 2000.'Brazilian GP, 2000', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr648.html, (Accessed 01/09/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim a seemingly dominant victory, albeit only after Mika Häkkinen had seen his race destroyed by an engine failure. Indeed, it was the Finn who started the weekend in the strongest form, sweeping to pole position in his ahead of teammate David Coulthard. Schumacher hence had to settle for third ahead of his teammate Rubens Barrichello, while Giancarlo Fisichella secured fifth for . , meanwhile, would withdraw from the race weekend after two wing failures during practice/qualifying. However, things were beginning to swing towards Schumacher's favour on race day, with the German only 0.005s down on Häkkinen during the warm-up. Elsewhere, Alexander Wurz was in trouble, with a malfunctioning anti-stall system forcing him to start from the pitlane. The start itself would see Häkkinen sprint into an early lead, while a poor getaway for Coulthard allowed Schumacher to storm through to second. The German then threw everything he could at the #1 McLaren to try and claim the lead, while Coulthard found himself back down in fourth behind Barrichello. Schumacher's early aggression paid off at the start of the second lap, with the Ferrari scything inside Häkkinen's McLaren into turn one to claim the lead. He duly sprinted away to try and build a lead, having been put on a two-stop rather than a one-stop as Häkkinen was on, with the Finn unable to match the lighter Ferrari's pace. Behind, Coulthard and Barrichello would exchange some impressive blows in the early stages, with both making mistakes to allow the other through. Indeed, a fairly even battle would be sorted out by an issue for Coulthard, with the Scot losing third gear and his radio systems. Coulthard was hence left to run in a lonely fourth, while Barrichello tried his best to get on terms with Häkkinen and help Schumacher escape up the road. With the home fans behind Barrichello threw everything he had at the double World Champion, and duly forced his way into second on lap fifteen. The two Ferraris would run one-two for the next few laps, before Schumacher made his first stop on lap 20, rejoining behind Häkkinen. Barrichello stayed out for a further two laps before stopping, although he would drop back behind Coulthard, whose entire race was being dictated by his pit-board. Many expected Schumacher, with fresh tyres, to begin closing on Häkkinen for the lead, although the Finn seemed to have enough pace to keep the Ferrari at bay. That was, until Häkkinen's pace collapsed on lap 30, the sign that his Mercedes engine had cried enough. With Häkkinen out, and Barrichello likewise at the side of the circuit with smoke pouring from his exhausts, Schumacher was left with a fair lead over Coulthard. With that the fight at the head of the field was over, leaving Giancarlo Fisichella and Heinz-Harald Frentzen in an intense fight for third for the rest of the afternoon. Yet, the order would not drastically change, with Schumacher cruising home four seconds clear of Coulthard to claim victory. Fisichella, meanwhile, would just keep Frentzen at bay to complete the podium, with Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher claiming the remaining points. However, after the race there would be an alteration to the finishing order, with Coulthard being thrown out of the race as his car failed post-race scrutineering. His exclusion promoted Fisichella into second ahead of Frentzen, while young Jenson Button was promoted to sixth to claim a maiden World Championship point. Background Michael Schumacher started the season as the man to beat with victory in Australia, leaving the opening round with ten points. Rubens Barrichello opened his account in second ahead of Ralf Schumacher, while Jacques Villeneuve was on the board for the first time since the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix. The other drivers on the scoresheet after the opening race were Giancarlo Fisichella and Ricardo Zonta. There were just four scorers in the Constructors Championship after the opening race of the season, with already holding a daunting lead of twelve points. Behind, were in second, level with but ahead courtesy of Ralf Schumacher's podium, while rounded out the scorers. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Diniz and Salo's entries were withdrawn after qualifying. Grid ** Wurz would start the race from the pitlane after stalling on the formation lap. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Coulthard was disqualified from the results of the race for using illegal front wing end-plates. Milestones * 100th Grand Prix to feature an entry from as an engine supplier.'2. Brazil 2000', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2000/bresil.aspx, (Accessed 01/09/2019) ** 200th individual entry for a Peugeot engine. * 100th entry for Heinz-Harald Frentzen.'2000 Brazilian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2000&gp=Brazilian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 01/09/2019) * 500th entry for an chassis. * 37th career victory for Michael Schumacher. * claimed their 127th win as a constructor and engine supplier. * Maiden points finish for Jenson Button. * Schumacher recorded his 40th career fastest lap. Standings Michael Schumacher moved twelve points clear at the head of the Championship having made it two wins in two races, holding a perfect score of twenty points. Giancarlo Fisichella was a surprise second after the opening rounds, and hence the German's closest challenger, while Rubens Barrichello had slipped to third. The Brazilian was level on points with Schumacher's brother Ralf, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen completed the top five. In the Constructors Championship had extended their early lead, leaving Brazil on 26 points. were into second, already eighteen off the leaders, while were in third, one behind. were mathematically level with the Irish squad in fourth, while were the only other scorers in fifth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2000 Grands Prix Category:Brazilian Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Brazil Category:Grand Prix articles